1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tube bending machine and to a magazine device for changing the pairs of clamping jaws on a tube bending machine and to a method for loading a pair of clamping jaws.
2. Discussion of Background Information
FR 2 530 980 discloses a tube bending machine which comprises an elongate frame on which there is disposed a moveable carriage secured to a rotary chuck. This rotary chuck grips a pipe which is to be advanced and rotated to preselected positions with respect to tools carried by a bending head.
For one bending operation, the carriage advances the pipe and the chuck rotates the pipe to position it with respect to the tools. In this type of machine, the press tool may press the rear part of the pipe against the bending tool or against another backing tool or a cam.
The gripping and bending tools collaborate to grip a front part of the pipe, and are simultaneously rotated about an approximately vertical axis. This causes the pipe to be curved about the bending tool. Thereafter, the tools are retracted, the carriage is advanced and the chuck is rotated in order to position the pipe suitably both in terms of longitudinal and in terms of rotational position, ready for the next bending operation.
The bending head, as a whole comprises a fixed arm assembly in which the mechanism for rotating the bending tool is mounted. The mechanism for operating the press tool is also mounted on the stationary arm. A swinging bending arm assembly is mounted on the fixed arm assembly so that it rotates as one with the bending tools about the axis thereof and this assembly carries the clamping tools and the mechanism for operating them.
The machine is preferably controlled entirely automatically so as to carry out a series of bending operations on a given pipe.
The bending tool is formed of a stack of coaxial bending tools with different curvatures. The machine can offer up any one of the bending tools or dies to the pipe, because the entire bending head is mounted so that it can move on the front end of the frame of the machine. Specifically, the bending head can move both ways, vertically and horizontally, in two directions which are perpendicular to one another, and directions perpendicular to the axis of the machine.
The bending machine and its magazine device according to the present invention are intended to bring pairs of clamping jaws with impressions of different shapes level with the bending head of the machine and to be able to select the one which corresponds to the exterior profile of the tube that is to be bent simply by rotating said magazine device about its longitudinal axis.
The tube bending machine according to the invention comprises, on the bending arm, a magazine device bearing pairs of clamping jaws with different impressions, said magazine device being able to pivot at the same time as the bending arm about the bending head so as to shape the tubes, while the magazine device can move both in terms of rotation about its own longitudinal axis and in directions lying in planes perpendicular and/or parallel to the plane containing the longitudinal axis of the fixed frame.
The tube bending machine according to the invention comprises a magazine device including a magazine holder secured to the jaw support sliding along the bending arm, of a magazine which can be moved vertically on the magazine holder by a motor and in terms of rotation about its own longitudinal axis using another motor, the magazine comprising at least one pair of clamping jaws on its periphery and two opposed jaws which collaborate respectively, with a bending roller of the bending head and with the jaw support of the bending arm.
The tube bending machine according to the invention comprises a magazine including a plate of square shape, each peripheral edge of which comprises an attachment device which allows the corresponding pairs of clamping jaws to slide.
The tube bending machine according to the invention comprises a magazine, the pairs of clamping jaws of which have an impression of different shape that complements the profile of the tube before it is bent.
The tube bending machine according to the invention includes a jaw support comprising, on a vertical edge, a slot which collaborates with an intermediate element secured either to one of the jaws of the corresponding pair of clamping jaws or to said jaw support.
The tube bending machine according to the invention comprises a bending head which moves in a horizontal direction lying in a plane perpendicular to the plane containing the longitudinal axis of the fixed frame.
The magazine device according to the invention comprises pairs of clamping jaws which have impressions of different shapes and movement means which, on the one hand, allow the magazine device to be pivoted about the bending head at the same time as the bending arm and, on the other hand, allow the magazine device to be moved in directions which lie in planes perpendicular and/or parallel to the plane containing the longitudinal axis of the fixed frame, while it comprises other movement means allowing the magazine device to be rotated about its own longitudinal axis.
The magazine device according to the invention comprises a magazine holder secured to the jaw support sliding along the bending arm, a magazine which can be moved both in vertical translation on the magazine holder via a motor and in terms of rotation about its own longitudinal axis using another motor, the magazine comprising on its periphery at least one pair of clamping jaws including two opposed jaws which collaborate respectively, one of them with a roller of the bending head and the other with the jaw support of the bending arm.
The magazine device according to the invention comprises a magazine which includes a plate of square shape, each peripheral edge of which comprises an attachment device which allows the corresponding pairs of clamping jaws to slide.
The magazine device according to the invention comprises pairs of clamping jaws which have impressions of different shapes that complement the profile of the tube before it is bent.
The magazine device according to the invention comprises a jaw support comprising, on a vertical edge, a slot which collaborates with an intermediate element secured either to one of the jaws of the corresponding pair of clamping jaws or to the jaw support.
The method for loading a pair of clamping jaws in order to operate the bending machine according to the present invention comprises in:
positioning the magazine device in a raised position on the magazine holder using the motor;
pivoting the magazine about its longitudinal axis using another motor in order to select the pair of clamping jaws according to the impression which corresponds to the profile of the tube before it is bent;
lowering the magazine device so that the jaws of the corresponding pair of clamping jaws index simultaneously and respectively, one of them on the bending roller of the bending head and the other on the jaw support of the bending arm;
moving the bending head and the jaw support horizontally toward the tube so as to bring the jaws of the corresponding pair of clamping jaws up against the tube;
bending the tube by pivoting the bending arm and the magazine device about the bending head and the bending roller.
According to the invention, a tube bending machine comprises an elongate fixed frame secured at one of its ends to a bending head and to a bending arm pivoting about the bending head. The machine comprises a magazine device on the bending arm, the magazine device bearing pairs of clamping jaws with different impressions formed thereon, and being pivotable at the same time as the bending arm about the bending head so as to shape tubes. The magazine device is moveable both, rotationally about its own longitudinal axis and in directions lying in planes which are at least one of, perpendicular and parallel to a plane containing the longitudinal axis of the fixed frame.
The magazine device comprises a magazine, a jaw support sliding along the bending arm, a magazine holder secured to the jaw support, a first motor for moving the magazine vertically on the magazine holder, a second motor for rotating the magazine about its own longitudinal axis, the magazine comprising at least one pair of clamping jaws on its periphery, the clamping jaws comprising two opposed jaws, a first of the two opposed jaws cooperating with a bending roller of the bending head, and a second of the opposed jaws cooperating with the jaw support of the bending arm.
According to a further aspect of the invention, the magazine comprises a plate, each peripheral edge of which comprises an attachment device which allows the corresponding pair of clamping jaws to slide. According to an embodiment of the invention, the plate is of square shape.
Further, according to the invention, each of the at least one pair of clamping jaws has an impression formed thereon, the impression complementing the exterior profile of the tube before it is bent.
Further yet, according to the invention, the jaw support comprises a slot on a vertical edge thereof, the slot cooperating with an intermediate element secured to one of the jaws of the corresponding pair of clamping jaws or to the jaw support. The bending head moves in a horizontal direction lying in a plane perpendicular to a plane containing a longitudinal axis of the fixed frame.
According to the invention, a magazine device of a tube bending machine includes a fixed frame secured at one of its ends to a bending head and to a bending arm pivoting about the bending head, and comprises at least one pair of clamping jaws which have impressions of different shapes formed thereon, a first movement mechanism which, on the one hand, allows the magazine device to be pivoted about the bending head at the same time as the bending arm and, on the other hand, allows the magazine device to be moved in directions which lie in planes which are at least one of perpendicular and parallel to the plane containing the longitudinal axis of the fixed frame and a second movement mechanism, which concurrently allows the magazine device to be rotated about its own longitudinal axis.
The magazine device further comprises a magazine holder secured to a jaw support sliding along the bending arm, a magazine, a first motor for moving the magazine in vertical translation on the magazine holder, a second motor for rotating the magazine about its own longitudinal axis, the magazine comprising on its periphery at least one pair of clamping jaws. The clamping jaws comprise two opposed jaws, a first of the opposed jaws cooperating with a bending roller of the bending head, and a second of the opposed jaws cooperating with the jaw support of the bending arm.
According to the invention, the jaw support comprises, on a vertical edge, a slot which cooperates with an intermediate element secured to one of the jaws of the at least one pair of clamping jaws. Alternatively, the intermediate element could be secured to the jaw support.
The invention further entails a method for loading a pair of clamping jaws in order to operate a tube bending machine which comprises an elongate fixed frame secured at one of its ends to a bending head and a bending arm pivoting about the bending head. The method comprises positioning a magazine device in a raised position on a magazine holder using a first motor, pivoting a magazine about its longitudinal axis using a second motor in order to select a pair of clamping jaws according to an impression formed on the jaws which corresponds to an exterior profile of a tube before the tube is bent, lowering the magazine device so that the clamping jaws index simultaneously and respectively, one of the clamping jaws on a bending roller of the bending head, and another of the clamping jaws, a jaw support of the bending arm, moving the bending head and the jaw support horizontally toward the tube so as to bring the clamping jaws of a corresponding pair of clamping jaws up against the tube, and bending the tube by pivoting the bending arm and the magazine device about the bending head and the bending roller.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is a novel method for loading a pair of clamping jaws in order to operate a tube bending machine, the tube bending machine including an elongate fixed frame secured at one of its ends to a bending head and to a bending arm pivoting about the bending head, a magazine device on the bending arm, the magazine device bearing pairs of clamping jaws with different impressions formed thereon, and being pivotable at the same time as the bending arm about the bending head so as to shape tubes, the magazine device being moveable both, rotationally about its own longitudinal axis and in directions lying in planes which are at least one of, perpendicular and parallel to a plane containing the longitudinal axis of the fixed frame, the magazine device including a magazine, a jaw support sliding along the bending arm, a magazine holder secured to the jaw support, a first motor for moving the magazine vertically on the magazine holder, a second motor for rotating the magazine about its own longitudinal axis, the magazine including at least one pair of clamping jaws on its periphery, the clamping jaws comprising two opposed jaws, a first of the two opposed jaws cooperating with a bending roller of the bending head, and a second of the opposed jaws cooperating with the jaw support of the bending arm, the method comprising positioning the magazine device in a raised position on the magazine holder using the first motor, pivoting the magazine about its longitudinal axis using the second motor in order to select the pair of clamping jaws according to the impression formed on the jaws which corresponds to the exterior profile of the tube before the tube is bent, lowering the magazine device so that the clamping jaws of the corresponding pair of clamping jaws index simultaneously and respectively, one of the clamping jaws on a bending roller of the bending head, and another of the clamping jaws, a jaw support of the bending arm, moving the bending head and the jaw support horizontally toward the tube so as to bring the clamping jaws of a corresponding pair of clamping jaws up against the tube, and bending the tube by pivoting the bending arm and the magazine device about the bending head and the bending roller.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, the tube bending machine comprises an elongate fixed frame secured at one of its ends to a bending head and to a bending arm pivoting about the bending head. The machine comprises a magazine device on the bending arm, the magazine device bearing pairs of clamping jaws with different impressions formed thereon, and being pivotable at the same time as the bending arm about the bending head so as to shape tubes. The magazine device is moveable both, rotationally about its own longitudinal axis and in directions lying in planes which are at least one of, perpendicular and parallel to a plane containing the longitudinal axis of the fixed frame. The magazine device includes a magazine, a jaw support sliding along the bending arm, a magazine holder secured to the jaw support, a first motor for moving the magazine vertically on the magazine holder, a second motor for rotating the magazine about its own longitudinal axis, the magazine comprising at least one pair of clamping jaws on its periphery, the clamping jaws comprising two opposed jaws, a first of the two opposed jaws cooperating with a bending roller of the bending head, and a second of the opposed jaws cooperating with the jaw support of the bending arm. The jaw support comprises a slot on a vertical edge thereof, the slot cooperating with an intermediate element secured to one of the jaws of the corresponding pair of clamping jaws or to the jaw support, the bending head moving in a horizontal direction lying in a plane perpendicular to a plane containing a longitudinal axis of the fixed frame before line 9, please add the following heading:
The description which is about to follow with reference to the appended drawings, given by way of nonlimiting examples, will allow better understanding of the invention, the features it offers and the advantages it is capable of affording: